Bloodstained Soul
by WolfsTrinity
Summary: Sent back in time after Ganondorf's defeat, Link became a warrior without a war, destitute of battle and loathing of his hate. The tortured soul seems destined for hardship, until one final ray of chance shines upon the broken hero. T for sensitive themes
1. Prologue

Prologue

A figure stood in a field of mists, forlorn, alone, a flickering shape of darkness amid an eternity of grey. Its very figure seemed shadowed, wavering and indistinct, contradicting and mysterious. It's form was in constant sputter and shift, as though time itself had cracked, and no longer knew how to present this spirit's image to the world. It looked up, piercing blue eyes gazing straight ahead, then spoke.

"I know I'm not supposed to do this," it said, its male voice a livid contradiction of young and old, sorrow and peace, "I know I'm not supposed to even see you, reader, and you are not supposed to see me. I am the narrator of this story that you are about to hear, and I ask that you hold no judgment on the tale, not until it is finished. Hear my words now, and see them in your mind. This tale begins with a young boy, who had saved a kingdom . . ."


	2. Part 1: Setting the Stage

Chapter One: Setting the Stage

"No, wait!," Link yelled, hoping to stop what was happening. But it was already too late. His voice was too high pitched, the weight on his back too light, and the blue glow surrounding the teen-turned-boy far, far too bright. He took his hands off the Master Sword only with regret. The sword had been his companion for many months in the quest to restore the Sages, and it would've been a blatant lie to say he hadn't become attached to the legendary blade.

Link quickly searched his body, as well as a magic pouch he'd had for longer than he could remember, for gear. There wasn't much to find. No boomerang, no bombs, no slingshot and no spells. Link didn't even have any Deku Sticks. His total inventory consisted of Kokiri Sword, Deku Shield, Deku Nuts, and Fairy Ocarina.

"I'm sorry, Link," Navi suddenly spoke up, voice betraying great sadness, "but I can't be your companion anymore. I've gotta go now." Before Link could say a word, she flew up and out the window at the back of the temple. Link was also sad, extremely so, but he couldn't help reminiscing at the irony of their first meeting. She'd been so annoyed then, but in the two years of their lives it had taken to complete this mad quest, the two had really grown close. It was then, in the middle of reminiscing, that the boy realized that he actually had _two_ sets of memories.

The first was familiar, one Link knew he'd experienced. It involved the Deku Tree's death and the spiritual stones, and it connected to his memories of the alternate timeline. The second set was different. In this set of memories, although Mido had still been annoyingly stubborn and made Link get a sword and shield, the Deku Tree had been fine, and merely told Link of his heritage. Link had left the forest, been given his Ocarina by Saria, and then journeyed to castle town in search of answers. He'd found the door of time open and tried to pull out the Master Sword, failing to do so. They ended there, as he stood, linking the boy perfectly to his situation. New memories for a new timeline, he supposed.

Link sent a silent prayer to the goddesses for their actions. The deities may not have sent him back, and he really hadn't wanted it, either, but they'd certainly done their best to enforce Zelda's wish, and for that the boy was yet thankful. He felt comforting heat in his left hand, and looked down to see the Triforce of Courage glowing faintly, silent acknowledgment from the goddesses. At least he still had that, for all the good it did him. He walked through the door of time, and it slid shut behind him, further closing Link off from the Master Sword, and he looked down to see that the spiritual stones were also absent. First, Link tried a warp song, the Minuet of Forest. A breeze picked up, his clothing fluttered, a faint smell of grass carried through the air. But ultimately, the spell failed. He sighed. Just one more thing that he could no longer do. The newly former hero left the temple, turmoil in his mind reducing him once more to just a boy.

As Link wandered through Castle Town, he became even more confused. His new-could he call them false?- memories were telling him to be in awe, just like a child should, just like he had been every other time he'd been through the place before drawing the Master Sword. But Link's old memories were too strong. Through them, he saw redeads, shriveled, desolate corpses with leathery skin, and screeches that could paralyze the strongest man. He saw burnt-out buildings, the bare ashen husks of the same ones he saw before him. Link saw bleak sky and blood-soaked ground, choked with ash and evil from the nearby castle and it's dark master. From them, Link inherited instincts, alert and ready for battle even there, the boy's hand already reaching for the boomerang his body refused to believe was not waiting at his belt.

It had taken Link weeks to master the weapon, it's nuances and quirks, but that had been the last weapon Link had ever needed to master. When the boy had awakened from his seven-year sleep as a teenager, as a hero, Link had assumed that his body was compensating for his mind when he moved about, his motions fluid and natural. When Link had wielded the Master Sword for the first time, the blade perfectly balanced, his movements perfectly executed, he had assumed it was the mystical nature of the sword itself that allowed it's instant mastery.

But when Link had won the race against Dante's ghost and been given the hookshot, there was no denying it. Before the ghost had even given him instructions, Link had found the triggers, launch and release. He knew trajectories, gravity, the length of the chain, the exact amount of force behind it. Link knew, in that crowded square with a child's body, that even if he so much as pried up a flagstone, he'd know _exactly_ how to use it as a weapon. The Triforce of Courage would help it's bearer. In the graveyard, with the hookshot, Link had realized this, and been glad for it, but in the castle square, with his mission done, Link felt the shadow of a thought, a feeling which would soon grow into hatred, a wicked, bitter contempt for this so-called gift the goddesses had seen fit to bestow upon him.

The people of castle town did not know of Link, of his trials or of his troubles, but one thing was certain even to them, and that was that the oddly dressed, carefree child with the fairy who had wandered into the temple of time minutes before, like so many others, could not be the same individual who had just come out of it. Only the fairy's absence was outwardly different, but this new individual was darker somehow. He was grim, sorrowful, serious. Somehow, they knew that whatever he had experienced in those few minutes within the temple had stripped the boy of his innocence, and had changed him irrevocably. As Link walked slowly through the town and across its drawbridge, crowds parted for him to move by, and he knew that they recognized his difference, and it saddened him.

Link visited the Gorons. There was nothing wrong with them. The gate to the path had never been locked and Dodongo's Cavern had never been tampered with. Link visited the Zoras. They were also perfectly alright, and like all the Hylians and all the Gorons were completely ignorant of the alternate timeline. Link visited the Gerudo. Well, he tried to at least, and before getting kicked out managed to learn that Ganondorf had never existed. The one male, destined to be born every hundred years, simply hadn't been. This, like the pieces of the Triforce, was one thing that could not be reversed. Ganondorf's soul was already trapped in the Sacred Realm, and when seven years passed, the sages would be taking up the mantle of his continued imprisonment.

Finally, the only thing left for the boy to do was go back to the Kokiri, but even there he felt unease, for Link was no longer a child, and the forest no longer his home. Eventually, after a week of meaningless travel, Link settled at Lon Lon Ranch, still burdened by his experiences.

* * *

A/N: It may or may not be obvious, but this is a rewrite(well, more of a re-imagining), of the first example of fanfiction I've ever written. This was almost three years ago, in seventh grade, and subsequently ended up as absolute crap. I've actually been sitting on this and the prologue since last summer, but progress on the second chapter, which is much more interesting, has slowed down a lot. I kinda saw this coming, and was going to wait until the whole thing was done before posting, but now I've decided that a review or two could be just the thing to get my ass moving. So yes, needless to say, please review. It would be awesome if it had some specific points in it, but honestly a simple positive review would be awesome. Not to say that i don't tolerate negative reviews, just so long as they're constructive and/or specific.


	3. Part 2: Descent

Chapter Two: Descent

Link found himself surrounded by a sea of enemies stretching off in every direction. The hero whipped his arm around, stunning an enemy with his mirror shield, then brought the sacred blade in his left hand into an arcing slash and shoved it into the undead skull, his blade moving to parry the attack of another even as the Stalfos he'd stabbed fell and disintegrated in a blue flame. Link was embroiled in combat, reveling in the grim, primal thrill of warfare, of knowing that he was one move, one momentary loss of focus away from injury and death. He hadn't felt that good since Ganondorf.

Wait, he'd already defeated Ganondorf, already been thrust backwards into a time in which he no longer belonged. One momentary loss of focus. A Lizalfos stabbed him through the gut, he coughed up blood, but it was too late. Link had already seen through the illusion, and as he snapped his eyes open to see the same blank wooden ceiling of his room in the storage silo, only one word came to mind.

"Fuuuuck," Link yelled, drawing it out into a whining moan before launching into a long and drawn out tirade of cursing that would've made any parent want to punish him. He snorted, _"What parents?"_ Link had never had any, the closest to one having been a goddamned _talking tree_. As he thought this, Link's hand burned like molten lead, as though a blazing funnel of liquid stone had been poured upon the mark there. That had happened a lot after coming back, and where before curiosity would've mixed in with the ire, only raging irritation came from Link's weather-beaten soul then. As he sullenly and frustratedly put on his clothes, the boy heard a door open before soft feet climbed up the ladder and Malon's head appeared through the trap door.

"_Damnit," _Link thought, _"This is going to be a pain in the ass."_ He'd liked Malon's ever-happy personality the first time, when he was still an innocent child, but after he'd returned to work as a farmhand it had never ceased to annoy him. Malon knew this, in a way. With her childish mind, she realized that Link was gloomy and sad. Though the girl was too young to know about depression, or to figure out what could be done to help Link, she nevertheless did her best to cheer up the forlorn oddity that worked on her father's ranch.

"I heard a yell," The farm-girl said brightly, "What happened? Did you have a bad dream?"

"In a way," Link sighed, deciding to relent for the moment, "It wasn't bad until I realized it was a dream."

"That's weird," Malon replied, puzzled, "What was it about?"

"I was fighting," came a blunt reply, the speaker hardly caring what he was revealing or who he was speaking to, "Surrounded by enemies at all sides, an inch away from death. It was war, all out and bloody, but I fought alone."

"Fighting? That doesn't sound like a very good dream," Malon was frowning. It was the first time she'd gotten the boy to open up in more than two months of work, and the girl was starting to think she wouldn't like what was underneath the farmhand's brutal efficiency and silent exterior.

Link barked out a mirthless laugh, it's sound hollow and harsh, "I suppose it was rather bittersweet, then, if you look at it that way. Now if you'll excuse me, I have work to do." He walked over to the trapdoor and dropped down, his conditioned body easily taking the impact. Automatically, the boy walked over to a grouping of milk crates, picked up one as tall as himself and twice as large, then left the cool storage building, headed for a large, almost-empty wagon near Lon Lon Ranch's entrance

"_look at it that way?"_ Malon wondered, her distracted gaze lingering on the trapdoor, _"What other way is there?" _The thought demanded attention, but Malon still had work to do herself. The young girl did her best to get it out of her mind as she followed Link across the ranch with a smaller crate of her own. After nearly an hour of labor from everybody on the Ranch, the covered wagon was full and hitched to a pair of horses.

Link glanced to the eastern sky, only just starting to lighten, and cursed under his breath. They would have to hurry to make it to Castle Town in time, and from the other side, he wouldn't even be able to fight any Stalchildren. Pushovers as they were, Link had been looking forward to even such a meager dose of combat. Now, he could only hope for the odd bandit attack to break the ceaseless monotony of travel. Talon climbed onto the wagon, followed by Link and Malon, and grabbed hold of the reigns. Then the group was off, Malon waving to Ingo, who'd been left behind to make sure nothing happened.

As predicted, the journey was an uneventful one, the heavy wagon making furrows in a dry and faded path as they plodded along. Link drew his sword and shield, for all appearances the ever-vigilant protector. It was a brittle facade, meant to fool the two beside him into thinking that he was taking their protection seriously, instead of daydreaming of times when he'd have _actually needed_ such precautions. As the heavy, dull sunlight drew long and shadows shrank and grew again, Link's mood, already bitter upon waking, steadily hardened into a black, poisoned shroud over his conscious mind.

The sun had just barely set when the group arrived at Hyrule's Capital, but the gate was already shut, a guard standing lookout in a high sentry post built into the wall.

"Open the gate!" Talon shouted, "Quickly, before the Stalchildren come!"

"Bu' the gate's s'posed ta be closed at night," The guard called back, clearly drunk or stupid, "evry'one knows 'at! Shud'a been 'ere earlier, ya should," He seemed to have a moment of sobriety as he spoke next, "Hey, who are you people anyway?"

"We are Talon, Malon, and Link, here on a _regular_ bi-yearly shipment of goods from Lon Lon Ranch to Hyrule Castle Town," Steel-edged panic had entered the man's tone, annoyed with the guard and fearful of the Stalchildren that wandered Hyrule Field at night, "Now open the damned gate or it'll be our blood on your hands!"

"Well all righ' then," the guard relented, He turned around, yelling down to another man below, "Ern, drop th' gate! We got a cart comin' in!"

"At this time a night?" A gruff voice called back as the drawbridge began to ratchet slowly down, "Should'a told me b'fore 'stead o' blatherin on like ya did. I could'a had it open a'ready. Sure 'ope they 'ave protection, cos they're gonna need it now!"

Link could hear this, faintly, and a feral grin spread across his face, hidden by the half-light. The Triforce of courage blazed with pain once more at the expression, and this time he did wonder, _"Why'd it do that? After all, what's the use of Courage if you aren't in a fight?" _The boy lazily glanced down at it, gasping in surprise at what he found. The mark had changed massively. Ir looked like it had been branded cruelly into his flesh, originating with an ugly black mark like the most potent burn in the center of the bottom-right triangle, Courage, spreading into red, blistered skin over the rest of the mark. Deep in a white room within the boy's mind, a part of Link was horrified by this. Shrouded as it was, though, by bitterness and hatred, this manifested only as a vague troubled feeling that was soon overridden by depression and poisoned adrenaline.

"Fine, then," He muttered aloud, hopping off the cart and pulling his sword out behind him, "I don't need it." A blue sheath of energy, blackened and crackling with pent-up emotion, formed around the blade, but no red haze manifested to empower it. Courage had abandoned its wielder. The ground rumbled ominously, then within moments, skeletal figures clawed their way out of the ground, clothed in rags with elongated snouts and burning red eyes. They started towards Link first, their simple minds gauging distance. He waited until several of the undead surrounded him, then spun, hitting them with both his sword and a halo of dirty blue energy. They fell, and as even more zombies rose, the remaining creatures began to attack the cart, dully recognizing the threat of their foe.

"Big mistake," Link growled, "Now die again!" The warrior let loose, venting weeks of volatile emotion. Five minutes later he was surrounded by a crumbling bone-field. The gate crashed down just as Link felled a huge Stalchild, the combined impacts disintegrating the field and causing a dirty white cloud of bone-dust to plume into the air. Link, coated liberally with the foul necromantic powder, had barely broken a sweat.

"In," he commanded, the voice of a warrior from the mouth of a child. His order broke the others of their stupor, and Talon immediately snapped the reins and rode the carriage through Castle Town gate. A huge bear of a man, presumably Ern, pulled a great wheel back, winching up the drawbridge. When he was done, the man walked over to them, looking quite exhausted from the effort of raising the gate so soon after lowering it.

"Sorry about Jenkins there," He said, "Lad's got a good heart, but he's a right dullard when he's tired, and this is his first night shift."

"Well, we're here and nothing's broken, so no harm done I suppose," Talon replied, yawning. Despite his flippant words, it was clear to Link that the rancher was quite unnerved with his little show of force. It would probably end up with him out of a job. Link was beyond caring.

"Now, then," Talon continued, "we're off to find an inn." He glanced at Link, then added with some unease, "and a bucket." It was easy enough to find somewhere to stay, a tavern off the central courtyard called the Desert Oasis. It was a large and welcoming establishment in the Gerudo style, with an impressive set of stables and two large doorways leading into the bar area. This was where Talon and Malon usually stayed, and it seemed to be quite the reputable establishment, judging by the crowd.

"Talon you sluggard," the bartender, a large and boisterous woman yelled to them, "You're late! Sleep till noon again?"

"It's not my fault this time, Telma, I swear!" the lazy farmer called back. They started up a conversation then, one that Link immediately dismissed as inane chatter. He tuned them out, hopping up on the bar so he could look over the crowd, fuming at the necessity of the movement.

Several men were drunk out of their minds, he noted jealously, knowing that in his state not even the loosest bar would serve him alcohol. He considered starting a drunken brawl just to get some action, his left hand burning at the thought, but dismissed the idea, knowing it wouldn't satisfy him. There weren't even any off-duty soldiers to put up any decent sort of fight. Vaguely, he noticed Talon finishing his conversation with Telma. Their rooms were three and four, there was a clean bucket in the stables, blah, blah, blah, he'd gotten the important bits. With a terse promise to be at the stables by eight the next morning to help unload, Link stalked off, his fiery rage making him far too twitchy to sleep.

The townsfolk, many of them closing up for the night, shied away from him ever more than on his previous visit, instinctively knowing that the dust on his body was an altogether more sinister material than simple flour. _'they fear me,'_ he noted with a sneer, _'fucking cowards.'_ The Triforce on his hand had gone a foul black, shot through with an angry red that glowed faintly, but he had grown numb to the pain it was radiating and the acrid burnt stench flowing noxiously from the mark.

His feet brought him unconsciously towards the seedier districts of the city, the filth-ridden underside no less dark for even such a shining jewel of prosperity. In the wavering torchlight of a passing guard, frightened out of his wits to be patrolling the district, Link looked pale from the corpse-dust, his hair and clothing seeming somehow darker despite this, and a flash of red crossing briefly over his eyes. Several minutes later, having finally grown tired despite his ire, Link turned back towards the square, but not before one final, childish act of spite.

He turned towards Hyrule castle, towards the home of that bitch who had sent him back despite his will, then performed a mocking salute, his middle finger outstretched from a fist. Then, like the setting sun through a gap of the harshest storm, a thought crossed his mind. He had never actually visited that bitch Zelda after returning, had he? Wrapped up in his own ire, he had merely assumed that there was nobody else to talk to, nobody else who knew of his worthless sacrifice. 'Maybe,' he thought, 'just maybe.' Maybe what? He couldn't say, but he had some words for this _princess_. He couldn't go then, not knowing where she slept, but in the morning, then Link would finally know. The boy made a few discreet purchases in the black market, then fell asleep in a back ally, the evidence of his earlier battle still upon him.

Morning came. Link made his way back to the inn, a small vial of liquid resting safely in his pouch. He met his companions for breakfast, eating little and slipping the clear liquid into Talon's drink. It was pathetically easy. His mood had darkened once more. As the group made their way around the city, dropping off their deliveries, Malon started walking over, only to be held back by her father, who was eying Link with mistrust. He didn't know _what _was up with their farmhand, but if it didn't stop by the time they reached the castle, he was giving Link his wages and firing him on the spot.

Eventually, they did reach Hyrule Castle. Malon, as usual, stayed behind, but Link elected to join Talon for their last delivery. Talon accepted, planning to fire him the instant he'd been paid for the milk. It was pathetic, Link thought, that they would let him past the gate in his state of filth, even if he was travelling with a trusted supplier. Talon, for one, was growing very tired. As soon as they'd put down the crates by the Castle's service entrance, he fell to the ground, out cold. Link smirked at that. He may not have known much about poisons, but that lazy bastard was piteously easy to sedate.

He shoved a crate into the shallow pool, just as he'd done so many months, so many memories, before, then leaped into the narrow drain. At least the dust was gone, but now he was soaking wet. Link had preferred the powder. In fact, he'd gotten quite the wicked joy out of the reaction people had at the sight of it. He creeped past the guards, a task laughably easy after the hell he'd been through in Ganondorf's version if the castle. All too soon, he reached Zelda's secret garden. Her back was turned, watching her idiot father and his court.

"Hello, princess," he spoke, trying and mostly succeeding in keeping his voice level. Still, though, a tinge of wickedness crept in, unable to be banished. She whirled around, startled. They stared at each other, one in shock, the other expectation. Time passed, seconds or minutes neither could say. Finally, a single word slipped past Zelda's lips, a single syllable, one that drove Link screaming back into the pit he'd been digging himself into.

"Guards!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. Immediately, two figures appeared at Link's sides, restraining him. "Sheikah," he spat, "of course." There was a flash of blinding light and the next thing he knew, the sheikah were throwing him face first into the dirt outside the gate.

* * *

A/N: Alright, so here's chapter two. As can be inferred, I got the title of the whole fic from the title of this chapter. The last 3/7 of this I wrote just now, and as such are mostly unedited, so feel free to point out any grammar issues or any issues period, really. I would also like to use this opportunity to thank Kasuto of Kataan, who's stories inspired me to finish this and, I do believe, were also subconsciously my inspiration for the original. Finally, I would love it if you guys gave input on the presence of Telma. I saw an opportunity to use a character from another game rather than some random OC and took it. It also occurred to me that in the situation I've written, it is very possible that she could be Malon's mother. Still toying on what to do with that, as I'm having Telma and her inn be an official part of my Ocarina of Time fanfiction, but I'm not sure whether I want to confirm her as Malon's mother, totally shoot that idea down, or leave it vague. depending on what I decide, I very well might use it in one or more of the endings I have planned. Speaking of endings, I do plan to do multiple. One "true" ending of what I would have it end with, one 'canon' ending that fits in with Majora's Mask, and a few more.


	4. Endings and Epilogue

**Ending ****One****: ****Corruption**

Link stalked his path through Castle Town, rage nearly tangible around him. Red flickered in his eyes, and black stained his clothes. Before, the people had shied around him. This time they fled his wrath. Not a single soul dared bar his way. The guards abandoned their posts. Hardly looking where he was going, a temple came to view. As he entered, Link drew his sword, and all who saw it flew. Solitude was his at last. The Kokiri had abandoned him, and the Goddesses and the world itself. It was time for him to make them pay. Link knelt before the altar, and brought his sword to bear. Blood ran down his arm, the triforce resting there. His transformation, long begun, was finally to end. Fire burned through veins and mind, the hero's last refuge destroyed. Black was his body, and black was his mind, and black was his shriveled heart. Link had merged with Shadow, as he left into the light. A foul red shone in his eye, and pale white was his flesh. The streets ran red upon that day, and ever and after, a poem was made, as caution for those yet to come.

Once hero walked into the temple alone.

But only a monster emerged.

Whence Courage, corrupt, abandoned the soul,

A slaughterer born, could never atone.

Then blood ran into the river,

And never could evil be purged.

The temple, so stained, was abandoned,

its treasure safe in wood unknown.

And of the monster, Bloodstained Soul,

He passed into legend, broken, alone.

**Ending ****Two****: ****Passing**** The**** Torch**

He couldn't believe it. One final hope, so shining, he'd been given, then brutally taken away. Zelda, she was clueless. This burden was his to bear alone. But Link's mind was finally clear, a first in many months. Courage had not abandoned him. It was he who had forsaken it. This revelation gave no comfort, for though he was not the same bitter shell from the night before, Link was still no longer a hero, and courage no longer his own. This world no longer had place for him, and only one path was left. Link knew where he must go, and what he had to do. As the boy walked through the streets, only sympathy would meet him, though he was never to know. White was the platform in the Temple of Time. The central chamber was still. The triforce mark on Link's hand was changed once more as he drew his blade. No longer red, but faded, a remnant of past war. Solemn, Link reversed his blade, and spoke his final words.

"This world has no more need of me, a broken hero with many flaws. I am no longer deserving of Courage. May it pass to one more worthy, and one who has a cause." Then he plunged the sword into his heart, and soon it beat no more. Somewhere off in Hyrule, the hand of a youth glowed bright. Courage had found its champion, one who shone with light. And as for Link, twas buried, an unmarked grave his home. But not forgotten, for Courage had known, and a single child mourned him alone.

**Ending**** Three****: ****Redemption**

**One**** Hour**** Earlier****:**

Zelda awoke with a gasp, heart pounding in her chest. Her dreams of late had been troubled and strange. Sometimes they were of a boy, about her age, in green and with a sword. He fought in a cave, inside a tree, and even in the belly of the Zoras' great fish, defeating great monsters wherever he went. Often, there was a teen, looking like the same boy but older, with what looked like the legendary master sword in his hand, fighting even more monsters, fiercer and more lethal than the boy's foes. Both were always followed by a bright blue fairy.

Then there were also the dreams centering on one of the sheikah, sometimes helping the teen, but often doing his own thing. These were the weirdest. The other dreams, though incredibly lifelike were sort of detached, with her definitely observing and not being a part of events, but with the Sheikah, even though it was apparently a boy, she had a much more personal, connected role in the dreams, almost like they were her own memories.

Last night's had been especially bad. She watched the boy as he walked through the darkest parts of Castle Town, parts she hadn't known existed before the dream. There was something wrong with him, too. Instead of the cool, courageous hero from her other dreams, he was bitter, uncaring, not to mention absolutely filthy. It ended as he went to sleep in an alley.

Zelda had gotten a very bad feeling from the dream, but she did her best to put those thoughts to the side. She was a princess, after all. She had to act the part, at least until she was alone. She called her servants, who helped her put on a needlessly fancy and complex dress, then glided down to breakfast, for all appearances the proper young lady. Finally, Zelda got a chance to retreat to her favorite part of the inner gardens, a peaceful grove with a view of her father's court. She'd been there for a few minutes when a voice spoke behind her, unplaceable but infinitely familiar, and at the same time inexplicably creepy.

"Hello, princess," he said. Zelda whirled around, then froze. It was the boy. Her mind went into overdrive, forming connections, filling in gaps, urged on by the Triforce of Wisdom on her hand. The Hero of Time, the alternate timeline, everything suddenly made sense. It was way too much for her young mind to handle. She needed time. Stunned, overwhelmed by her new knowledge, the young princess could only think of one thing. She called for the guards. The sheikah, ever watchful, knew immediately what they had to do and promptly had him out of the castle. She sighed, thanking the goddesses. She lay on the grass, closed her eyes, and began to process the information.

Link, meanwhile, was confused. There had been recognition in Zelda's eyes, definitely. He had seen it there, no doubt about it. But, she had still called the guards. Nonetheless, Link was absolutely _certain_ that she had known. Mind conflicted, the young boy wandered Castle town, the townsfolk not quite so hostile this time.

It was Zelda who got her thoughts together first, but unfortunately, she couldn't do anything on her own. So, she called Impa.

"Yes?" Asked her nursemaid, appearing from seemingly nowhere.

"I need to find that boy!" Zelda exclaimed.

"Oh really?" Impa raised her eyebrow, clearly thinking that Zelda had become infatuated.

"Oh my Goddesses, it's not like that! This is important!" Zelda fumed, channeling the alternate self from her new memories, "That boy is the one from my dreams. I figured out what they mean!"

"And you kicked him out?" Now Impa's eyebrow was raised for an entirely different reason.

"It was a lot to take in, and I needed time," Zelda replied defensively, acting much more her age, "Will you bring me to look for him or not?"

"Alright, alright," Impa caved, "I've got to tell your father, though, and you need something less flashy to wear." Zelda nodded, grinning widely, then got to her room as fast as possible, etiquette out the window. She changed into an armless dark blue dress with slits between the legs, over a pair of simple white pants and a white long-sleeved shirt. Her hair went into a basic pony tail tied with a white ribbon. Having a Sheikah for a nursemaid meant that Zelda did actually keep fit, and those were the clothes she did it in. They also happened to look similar to her Sheik outfit from the alternate timeline.

Soon enough, after getting a rough idea on where to look from the gate guard, the two were off looking for Link. Not many of the townsfolk actually knew what their princess looked like, so keeping low-key was easy. Zelda, using her Triforce of Wisdom, was able to almost sense where Link was, so they found him easily enough, walking along a street in one of the housing districts.

"Link!" Zelda yelled, sprinting up and hugging the boy from behind. OK, maybe she did have a bit of a crush on him.

"Gahh!" He spluttered, worming out of her grip enough to turn around, "Zelda?"

"Hello," She replied, grinning Mischievously, "Hero of Time." Link stared at her, mouth agape. Zelda giggled at the look.

"You remember!" He finally spoke. Then Link hugged her, fiercely, and began to cry, letting out his emotions of two months. Zelda awkwardly patted his back.

"Umm, Link," she whispered after a little while, "we're in the middle of a street, and Impa's right behind me." The boy tensed, then backed off, looking very nervously at Impa.

"It's fine," She said to calm him, "Let's get back to the castle and you two can explain what's going on."

"Oh shit, that reminds me, Talon!" Link exclaimed, remembering what he'd done to the man, "I had to drug him to get into the castle. I've gotta go wake him up. After that," He cut off, nervous, "Well, I have this weird feeling, like Courage is telling me something. I have to find Navi. I don't know why, and I really want to stay here, but duty calls, so I'm sorry, but I can't stay. After I deal with Talon, I've got to go." Link felt really bad about not being able to stay, but his Triforce, which had returned to its whole and golden form, was giving off a comforting warmth, supporting him in his decision.

"I understand," Zelda sighed, "Now that you say that, Wisdom is telling me the same thing. You'll come back though, right?"

"You can count on that," Link replied steadfastly, "Nothing will stop me, and I will return." Zelda and Impa brought him back to where Talon was laying by the service entrance of the castle, then continued inside, both princess and hero sad, but hiding it.

Fortunately for Talon, Link had a box of smelling salts with him. he waved the harsh smelling box under Talon's nose, quickly rousing even him.

"Huh?" Talon asked, "That's weird. I'm usually not that lazy."

"I slipped something in your drink to knock you out," Link said bluntly, "I'm sorry. I haven't been in my right mind lately. I quit, and you don't have to pay me my latest wages." Talon was stunned. He knew the kid was messed up, but he didn't think it was _that_ bad. Nonetheless, whatever had happened, he seemed to have gotten over it. Certainly the maturity he was showing meant _something_.

"Very well, mister Link," Talon said, standing up, "I see you've made your decision. I insist that you stay on for the rest of the week, though. Now that you've sorted yourself out, I think it's only decent of me to do."

"Alright, fine," replied Link. They collected Malon, had fun the rest of the day, then the next morning, brought the cart back to the ranch, during which time Link was far more sociable towards his companions, and quickly made friends with the two. Epona took such a liking to Link after he got out of his depression that the two became absolutely inseparable, and so Link ended up taking her with him when he left. Then off he was through lost woods, headed for parts unknown. After all, he had a fairy to catch.

**Epilogue****:**

Once more, the figure stood in the grey swathes of mist. His form, once finishing the tale, began to settle somewhat, still changing but between only three distinct shapes. One was a young boy in a green tunic, with a large bloodstain radiating from a pierce wound in his chest. A kokiri sword and shield were in his hands. The next was a teenager, pale white skin, black hair, hat, and tunic, ashen tights and long-sleeved shirt, and glowing red eyes. He held a black mockery of the Master Sword in one hand and a plain gray shield in the other. Finally, a form very similar to the first one. This one was slightly taller and carried a round mirror shield, as well as a much longer sword with gold-like metal hammered along its edge, and wore a Deku Scrub mask. Again, he looked straight ahead, and began to talk.

"Yes, reader, it is me," Link said, the tone and inflections in his voice shifting between the forms, "I am the narrator of the story. Which of these endings is true, I cannot really say. In the vast realms of possibility, all three of them have happened. And that is what I am: Possibility. I am the vast and infinite soul of the Hero, Link, the sum of all his parts, and all his incarnations, waiting here in the ether for Hyrule to need me once more. Until then, though, the fourth wall doesn't matter much, and as for now, reader, I bid thee farewell. May you find more fanfiction to your liking."

* * *

A/N: And that's that. As might be inferred from the epilogue, I don't actually feel like one ending is above the others. I feel that they all have their own merit. The first one is a bit vague, yes. I feel it's also bit grating because I was balancing between poetic and less fancy prose and had issues doing that. To clarify, he stabbed himself in the left hand before a literal transformation into Dark Link. The suicide one was also a struggle with being poetic, but I think I did a lot better there. The original had a suicide theme, and I wanted at least one ending to reflect that. The third ending, which fits into Canon, was written in a less poetry-inclined mood, and also heavily implies Link X Zelda, which was another element from the original. I had fun seeding vagueness into all three endings in various ways, but I felt that I needed to revisit the narrator character, to clear up what's going on with him. Writing this story, though, I kind of shifted away from the original ideas, somewhat including the narrator, so it's a little awkward.

10/6/2012: Finally fixed the little upload hiccup in the epilogue.


End file.
